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Thursday, February 6, 2025

As Dragon Age Fans Fear the Death of the Series, One Former BioWare Developer Offers Words of Reassurance: ‘Dragon Age Isn’t Dead Because It’s Yours Now’



Following layoffs at BioWare that noticed the exit of many key builders of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, one former author on the sequence has moved to reassure followers by saying: “DA is not useless as a result of it is yours now.”

This week, EA restructured BioWare to concentrate on Mass Effect 5 solely. Some who labored on Dragon Age: The Veilguard have been moved to initiatives at different EA studios (Game Developer reported that John Epler, Veilguard’s inventive director, was assigned to work on Full Circle’s upcoming skateboarding recreation Skate). Some revealed they have been laid off and have been now searching for work.

The choice adopted EA’s announcement that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had underperformed on its expectations for the long-awaited motion RPG. EA mentioned Dragon Age “engaged” 1.5 million gamers throughout its latest monetary quarter, which was down almost 50% from the corporate’s projections.

Notably, EA didn’t say the 1.5 million quantity was unit gross sales (Dragon Age: The Veilguard was additionally accessible as part of EA’s Play Pro subscription service). Additionally, it is not clear whether or not EA is counting a free trial of the sport that was accessible by way of the cheaper EA Play subscription within the 1.5 million quantity both.

Either approach, EA’s announcement, its restructure of BioWare, and affirmation of layoffs have mixed to create the sense throughout the Dragon Age fandom that the sequence is just about useless. There is not any DLC deliberate for The Veilguard, and BioWare’s work on the sport got here to an finish final week with what appeared like its final main replace.

But Dragon Age: The Veilguard senior author Sheryl Chee, who was moved from BioWare to work on Iron Man at Motive, took to social media to supply phrases of hope.

“I’m now with Motive,” Chee started. “It’s been a tough two years seeing my group get chipped away and having to nonetheless preserve going. But I’m nonetheless employed, so there’s that.”

Then, in response to a fan who lamented the loss of life of Dragon Age, Chee replied to say the sequence now belongs to the followers who will preserve it alive with their very own contributions.

“So a cool French girl dropped a cool quote from Camus on me immediately: ‘In the midst of winter, I discovered there was, inside me, an invincible summer time.’ (I imply, who does resistance just like the French, proper?) We’re going by way of it proper now. It’s loads, in every single place…

“But DA is not useless. There’s fic. There’s artwork. There’s the connections we made by way of the video games and due to the video games. Technically EA/BioWare owns the IP however you may’t personal an thought, regardless of how a lot they wish to.

“DA is not useless as a result of it is yours now.”

Then: “So somebody simply reposted my factor saying they’re going to write an enormous AU and that is what I’m speaking about. If DA has impressed you to do one thing, if it sparks that Invincible summer time, then it is performed it is job, and it has been my best honor to have been part of that.”

Dragon Age started life with 2010’s Dragon Age: Origins, which was adopted up only a 12 months later by Dragon Age 2. Dragon Age: Inquisition launched three years later, in 2014. But it took a decade for the newest sequel, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, to return out.

In September, former Dragon Age govt producer Mark Darrah, who left BioWare in 2020, revealed that Dragon Age Inquisition had offered over 12 million copies, and “massively” oversold EA’s inside projections for the sport.

EA has but to outright say Dragon Age is useless, nevertheless it’s onerous to see a brand new recreation within the sequence any time quickly, if ever, given what’s occurred to BioWare itself and the complete concentrate on Mass Effect 5. As for Mass Effect, EA mentioned a “core group” at BioWare is creating the subsequent Mass Effect recreation underneath the management of veterans from the unique trilogy, together with Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others. “While we’re not sharing numbers, the studio has the proper variety of individuals in the proper roles to work on Mass Effect at this stage of growth,” EA instructed IGN.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.



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